Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Spanish Fork UT

By Debi Silber, MS, RD, WHC You’ve been running all day. You get the kids off to school, race to work, get a few errands done and, if you have time, try to knock off a few more things on your to-do list. Now it’s about three o’clock. You’ve just made it home in time for the school bus and start to think about your children’s afternoon activities, responsibilities and what you can whip up for dinner. You’re tired and frustrated, and all you can think about is what you’re about to eat the minute you get your hands on some food. Sound familiar? It’s a common scenario with a predicable outcome. The children race in, backpacks flying everywhere; the dog starts barking; everyone winds up in the kitchen—and what happens? As your children eat everything in sight out of hunger, you eat twice as much, possibly out of fatigue, anxiety or as a means of self-soothing yourself after a stressful day. After the last bite or handful goes down, the familiar feeling of discomfort, disgust and guilt takes over. Why do you do this, and why is the outcome so predictable? Unfortunately, it has become a habit that you have incorporated into your routine. You may have found mindless munching to be the quickest, easiest method to boost your energy. Maybe you are “stuffing” your feelings as a way to keep them at bay. Finally, you may never have considered that your body is “hungry” for some nurturing self-care. Every reason for the binge offers valuable clues as to what we really need. The least it shows us is the need to preplan for the inevitable. More often, the binge is trying to fill a greater need for something we feel is missing from our lives. Whatever the reason, it leaves us feeling empty, uncomfortable and out of control. So what do you do? First of all, berating yourself for bingeing only encourages another binge. Remember, it is a self-soothing technique you have employed to help yourself feel better. Imagine a hurt child who’s trying to tell you why she’s hurt. Typically, telling you her story is the first step to feeling better. Once she feels heard, she feels as though a weight has been lifted. She feels understood, validated, loved and can happily move on after a few minutes of explaining her feelings and receiving a supportive hug from someone who cares. Now imagine that same child, but instead of listening to her “crisis,” you forbid her from explaining her pain or feeling her emotions, and you choose to feed her instead. How does she feel?

• She’s frustrated with the feeling of being squelched.
• She’s unlikely to feel better because she’s still dealing with emotions that haven’t been adequately felt and dealt with.
• She’s never had an opportunity to resolve the conflict that caused the pain, so the painful feelings remain.
• She feels hopeless that this feeling will ever change.